Featured Blog of the Day
June 7, 2005
Mystery Pollster provided a tremendous service during the 2004 elections. This is a “must see” source for wading through the polls coming out regularly. The expert analysis of polling accuracy you will find there is a tremendous help and the “CATEGORIES” section provides an excellent primer on polling practices.
Sphere: Related ContentHow D-Day Would Be Reported Today
June 6, 2005
Hat Tip: Instapundit. Murdoc Online asks the question and received some interesting, and accurate in my opinion, answers.
Sphere: Related ContentA.C.L.U. Shredding Documents
June 4, 2005
The New York Times reports that great concern is arising regarding the fact that the ACLU is shredding documents.
The American Civil Liberties Union has been shredding some documents over the repeated objections of its records manager and in conflict with its longstanding policies on the preservation and disposal of records.The matter has fueled a dispute at the organization over internal operations, one of several such debates over the last couple of years, and has reignighted questions over whether the A.C.L.U.’s own practices are consistent with its public positions.
The apparent hypocrisy of this situation is evident as the ACLU has regularly called for records openness in government agencies.
In a speech to the Society of American Archivists last year, Nadine Strossen, the president of the A.C.L.U., said that at its inception in 1920, the civil liberties group arranged for the New York Public Library to archive its records and those of its predecessor organization.“I’m especially impressed by how prescient the A.C.L.U.’s founders were in understanding the importance of preserving our organizational records,” Ms. Strossen said.
In 2003, the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York gave Ms. Linde an award for her role in helping draft and enact a public records law after Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, moved records from his administration to a private institution.
As someone recently stated on FreeRepublic.com when the story was revealed there, “How very . . . Nixonian . .. of the ACLU.”
Sphere: Related ContentDick DeVos to Run for MI Governor in ‘06
June 3, 2005
We have a report from WOODTV.com that Dick DeVos will be running for Michigan Governor in 2006.
“At this point I am able to confirm that it is my intention and my plan to run for governor in ‘06. And we’ll be announcing a campaign sometime down the road. But I wanted to, once a decision was made, just square up and tell people exactly where I’m at,” DeVos told us. . . . “I’m looking forward to traveling around the state, as I already have all of my life . . . . I know how important it is to listen, to learn and then to make decisions,” DeVos told us.
DeVos’s wife, Betsy, is Chairman of the Michigan GOP. They have money and influence, and Michigan is a Blue state which longs to be Red. Should be an interesting run.
Sphere: Related ContentQuote of the Day: Fair Tax in the Federalist
June 3, 2005
Alexander Hamiltion has some interesting advice in Federalist 21 for those who support the Fair Tax (of which I am one).
“It is a singular advantage of taxes on articles of consumption that they contain in their own nature a security against excess. They prescribe their own limit, which cannot be exceeded without defeating the end purposed — that is, an extension of the revenue. . . . If duties are too high, they lessen the consumption; the collection is eluded; and the product to the treasury is not so great as when they are confined within proper and moderate bounds. This forms a complete barrier against any material oppression of the citizens by taxes of this class, and is itself a natural limitation of the power of imposing them.”
The fact is that the United States was originally funded by consumption taxes. Not until the passage of the 16th Amendment was the government allowed to collect taxes on incomes. And it’s time we went back to the old standard (including repeal of the 16th Amendment).
Alexander Hamilton had it right. I don’t think I could have argued better for a return to the fair tax. But, then, I do not posses the genius of Alexander Hamilton.
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FOR FURTHER READING: Check out this article from NewsMax.com
FEC v. Bloggers: Regulation Under Current Law Appropriate
June 2, 2005
La Shawn Barber stepped out on a limb by saying that bloggers who are paid by political organizations should be regulated per recommended FEC guidelines. I agree with her. The current campaign finance law would apply in such circumstance.
But McCain Feingold needs to be reformed. We wrongly got into a tizzy after the Nixon administration when massive gifts were given to his campaign which could not be traced. The problems could have been resolved if we had moved to a full-disclosure system with unlimited gifts. That is the type of reform I propose.
Individuals should have the ability to give unlimited cash and in-kind donations to any federal candidate. Businesses should be limited nationally to $25,000 donations per candidate. Allow PAC’s to take unlimited donations from individuals with businesses and other organizations totally restricted from giving to them. All donations (cash and in-kind) should be given with full disclosure. Any organization which breaks the disclosure laws with malice should be subject to criminal penalties including jail time.
Open the system, but make it transparent to all. Then free speech will once again become king and politicians can be held fully accountable to the associations they make.
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REGARDING THE FULL DISCLOSURE ISSUE: An article in the Denver Post highlights the amount of money quickly raised by Focus on the Family Action. They noted that such organizations do not have the same disclosure requirements as those regulated by the FEC–i.e. PAC’s and 527’s)–, and stated that some believe they should be required to provide disclosure. This is not the sort of thing I am talking about above. Remove limits from candidate’s and Party organizations with full disclosure there. Maintain 501 c(3) and 501 c(4) designations with the current rules in place and allow PAC’s and 527’s to operate with limited donations and full disclosure.
Dutch Town Bans Blasphemy
June 2, 2005
The Dutch village of Staphorst, considered a “Bible Belt” town has banned swearing. Similar laws in Holland have been struck down by Dutch courts in the past.
Sphere: Related ContentFeatured Blog of the Day: The National Guard Experience
June 2, 2005
Jean-Paul Boorda from The National Guard Experience sent me an email telling me about his post, The Golden Rules of Care Packages.
Jean-Paul is a National Guardsman stationed in Iraq. This is funny, must read stuff.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jean-Paul is stationed in Afghanistan. Sorry JP
Sphere: Related ContentNascent Newspaper Blogging
June 2, 2005
Jeff Quinton catalogs some attempts by media types to start their own blogs.
To date, traditional media is far removed from the “common people” and hesitant to dirty their hands with blogging “irresponsibility.” Thus, early attempts reveal the latent horror within them as they wade into the blogsphere. Jeff Quinton led me to a sample in Brad Warthen’s Blog which he links in his post.
Welcome to my Weblog, which begins with a series of disclaimers: First, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m making this up as I go along. I could read other blogs and imitate them, but I don’t want to. I want this to be different. Second, I am bound to make mistakes as I do this – factual and otherwise. This is a much more hurried form of journalism than what I’m used to, and there is nobody paid to check behind me. So if you see mistakes, say something so I can fix them. Third, the opinions, observations, digressions and irrelevancies contained herein are my own, and should not be seen as reflecting upon the wisdom of The State’s editorial board in any way.
Poor Brad. We know it’s tough to come down out of the Ivory Tower and mill about with us commoners. But worry not. You’ll find we actually have bathtubs here too, but, sadly, no manicured nails.
Sphere: Related ContentPlanned Parenthood Study Refutes "Abortions Are Up" Claim
June 1, 2005
Back before the 2004 elections, researcher Harold Stassen wrote an op-ed piece in which he claimed that abortions are increasing during the Bush Administration and were decreasing under his predecessor, Bill Clinton. This information was immediately and effectively refuted at the time, but it started a debate which President Bush’s pro-abortion detractors have used to delegitimize the pro-life position. LifeNews.com reports that Planned Parenthood’s research arm, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, has found that abortions actually decreased during the Bush administration.
Prof. Stassen’s survey only reviewed abortion trends in 16 states while Guttmacher’s data surveyed 44 as well as other significant statistical anomalies. This caused Stassen to send a memo to FactCheck.org stating that the Guttmacher study was “significantly better” than his.
Read more about the updated data on FactCheck.org’s website here.
UPDATE: LifeNews.com has reported a statement from Dr. Randy O’Bannon of National Right to Life. O’Bannon lauds the Guttmacher study and appropriately chides Democrat operatives who took advantage of the errant Stassen study:
“Pro-abortion Democrats have been pushing the myth ever since the election that abortions had increased since Bush took office,” he said. “Turns out not to have been true at all.”Sphere: Related Content“Many of those in leadership in the Democratic party seem to have suddenly developed an interest in reducing abortion, but if they were sincere, they’d be supporting pro-life legislation and policies,” Dr. O’Bannon added.
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